This invention relates to dispensing devices and, more particularly, to a dispensing device which can engage the rim of containers containing granulated or liquid material and dispense the material within the containers in a plurality of different pre-determined quantities.
With the increase in the variety of packaged foods and commercial products that are in granulated or liquid form, there has developed an increased need for a dispenser by which items, such as powdered artificial creams, powdered hot chocolate, tea, nuts, sugar, instant or ground coffee, as well as vitamins, soup, detergents, cleaners, chemicals, etc., can easily be dispensed in predetermined quantities directly from their original containers. For many of the products, the dispenser should include a means wherein the contents can be extracted from their respective jars or containers under an air-tight sealed condition in order to preserve the freshness and thereby prolong the life of the product. Presently, in order to extract an ingredient, the lid or top must be removed or opened and a spoon or other measuring device must be inserted into the container to remove the desired quantity of material; this quantity will vary depending upon the product and container and one will seldom be able to extract the exact quantity each time.
To overcome this problem, the dispenser should also include means to easily change the desired quantity of material being dispensed.
Since there are great differences in the size and shape of the containers in which materials are packaged, the dispenser should additionally have the versatility to accommodate different containers.
There have been numerous prior dispensing devices; however, each have deficiencies which are overcome by the present invention. U.S. Pat. No. 1,772,377 to Whittle discloses one such prior dispensing device. However, the device has limited utility because it cannot accommodate different containers and has no means to dispense more than one discrete quantity of material from the container.